It Never Hurts to Ask
by Songja
Summary: One shot with a pairing that wouldn't leave me alone. Anton has a proposition.


Disclaimer: Power Rangers, the characters and universe do not belong to me.

Hayley was under the bar connecting a new bottle of syrup to the soda fountain when she heard a tapping at the front door of the café. She popped up with a frown on her face. Although it was a little early to be open, Hayley smiled and threw a puzzled glance at the man who stood outside the doors of the Cyber Café. She walked across the floor and undid the deadbolt and opened the door, flipping the closed sign over to open. "Dr. Mercer, hello, come on in."

"Please, Ms. Viktor, call me Anton, as Tommy does," he said with a small smile as he entered the brightly colored café. He smoothly extended a hand towards Hayley and she was grateful that she had a towel to dry off her hand before offering hers to him.

"Hayley, then, please. Um, can I get you anything?"

"Well, this is quite as awkward as I thought it would be," Anton muttered before giving Hayley a thin smile.

Hayley blinked at him, still confused, but this was a man that Tommy had called friend. Despite his little transformation into and then from Mesagogg, he had tried his best to take care of a lonely orphaned boy. Although he tried to buy the café out from under her, he had lost that battle, and Hayley wasn't one to hold grudges. If she was, she would have dumped Tommy a long time ago.

"It looks like you want to talk. Look, let me get us some water. Why don't you have a seat," Hayley said and went behind the counter to pull a couple of bottles of water out of the refrigerator.

Anton looked about the café. The couches looked comfortable, but a bit casual for his taste. He approached a high table with bar chairs. He sat a bit uncomfortably on the chair, glad that there was somewhere to rest his feet so he felt a little more stable.

He didn't know how Elizabeth managed to talk him into this. He thought she was good and nice now. It seems that Elsa's evil streak came somewhat naturally. He sneered at the thought of the last "session" he had with her. He still could not believe that she had encouraged him in this folly. He had heard her laughter as he had left the sitting room. He started slightly as a glass of water was placed in front of him.

Hayley took the other chair at the table hopping onto the stool as if she did so every day, not looking nearly as awkward as he felt. After a bit of silence, she bit her bottom lip, and asked, "So, can I help you with anything?" curious as to why Anton was sitting with her fiddling with the glass water she placed in front of him.

Anton carefully took a sip of water before meeting Hayley's eyes. "First, Hayley," he said using her name and giving her a little smile, "I would like to apologize to you for all that had happened earlier this year. Tommy has said that I was not myself and Trent and his friends have been very gracious in their acceptance of me, but I have not yet apologized to you and I wish to do so. I do not think that my 'not being myself' is a valid excuse for events that were brought about by my hand during that time."

Hayley tilted her head to the side and observed Anton before smiling slightly and saying, "When I hired Trent, and when Tommy said that he knew you, I did some research. It's what I'm good at. I found out quite a bit about you Anton Mercer. Things that were public and things that you have done that are not so public. I know that while Trent was the only one you adopted, you had gone out of your way to assist the families of the people who lost their lives in the accident on the island. I know that your experimental research has great humanitarian applications. I know that Mercer Industries funds a major foundation anonymously."

She smiled at his startled look and shook her head fondly, "I keep telling people that information is my business."

Anton cleared his throat and took another sip of water. "Yes, well, clearly I shouldn't have tried to buy your café. I should have tried to hire you into my organization. The business one, Mercer Industries, not the evil try to take over the world one," he said wryly.

"I'm glad that you seem to be able to joke about it," Haley said, laying a hand over his with a compassionate smile.

"Yes, well, did you know Lizzie has a degree in Psychology? An emphasis in Child Development, but she seems an extremely capable confidant in this situation. I mean, if I went somewhere for therapy, can you imagine the reaction that would get?"

Hayley smiled while shaking her head, "That's information I could use. Do you know how many former rangers would benefit from therapy? I don't know if the kids would talk to her, a little intimate if your therapist is the person who was trying to kill you for the past year, but Tommy might be adult about it." She rolled her eyes, "And boy could he use some therapy."

Anton chuckled again and looked down at their hands, hers resting gently on his. Hayley noticed his gaze and lifted her hand looking a little embarrassed, but Anton quickly took her hand in his. "No, Hayley," he paused a little awkwardly, "I have a question to ask."

Hayley had frozen the instant Anton had taken her hand, but she relaxed slightly. "Besides asking for your forgiveness," he waved away her objection, "Yes, I needed to ask it, as I'm sure Trent did with the incident with his gem. Tommy and I have had long talks about it, the guilt, sometimes people do things out of their control, even when the intentions are good, sometimes bad things happen and you can still apologize and try to make amends for them."

"You know that you really didn't do anything directly to me to warrant any kind of apology or amends." Hayley said.

"Not even for the last year of your life? My involvement caused you to put your life on hold, to care take over four teenagers and a man who has the mentality of a teenager, don't deny it, I know Tommy as well as anyone. The fact that everyone still refers to him as Tommy as opposed to Tom or Thomas can be quite telling."

Hayley's lips twitched at that last comment and she could not help the smile that broke over her face.

"You know, you are very attractive," Anton said seriously, "I feel that this past year, you were much too occupied with saving the world than your own life."

Opting to ignore his first comment, Hayley grabbed onto the second part of his statement. "Tommy has been occupied with saving the world for almost half his life and he's not the only ranger that has been called to duty, thought he was done and then was needed again. There are others who dedicate their whole lives to the betterment of the world in little ways. I got to do something I loved while protecting my friends. I would do it again."

"Hopefully, you will never have to, that I would never again give cause for you to do so."

Hayley arched an eyebrow at him, "Are you planning on it?" she asked amused.

"No, but perhaps-," Anton paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Perhaps?" Hayley asked, curious as to what would make this powerful, wealthy, self assured man look so nervous.

"But, perhaps, I would appreciate it if I also had a bit of a care taker, to keep me in line, to spend time with me."

Hayley tilted her head to the side amused and a bit confused as to what Anton was asking.

"Hayley, perhaps, perhaps you might be willing to consider the position."

Hayley narrowed her eyes and leaned slightly forward, squeezing his hand slightly to take the sting out of her words, "Are you trying to hire me or ask me out on a date?"

Anton smirked, "Apparently my last year has made me a bit rusty in the relationship department."

"Yeah, um, maybe being a reptile hybrid megalomaniac with a female sidekick running around in leather can do that to you," Hayley said sitting back, but not taking her hand from his.

"Are you worried about Lizzie?"

"Worried? She could kick my ass from here to Sunday. You two were pretty chummy at the prom," Hayley noted.

"She and I are not quite compatible. Not to mention, she's been acting as my therapist."

"And living in your house."

"And should I question your relationship with Thomas?"

Hayley shook her head, "I need a partner, not someone to baby sit."

"I assure you, I would never ask that of you. I, too, seem to be searching for a partner."

The bell over the door rang and a crowd of teenagers started to pour into the Café. Hayley withdrew her hand and Anton let her go. The chatter of teenagers seemed to have broken the moment.

"Hey, Dad!"

"Dr. Mercer. Hayley."

"Hello, Trent, Kira, Ethan, Connor. Last day of school done?"

"What are you doing here?" Trent asked his dad.

"Speaking to Hayley about a proposition."

Hayley's eyebrows winged up at that and Anton sent her a smug smile. "So I am wondering if you would like to get together for dinner some time to discuss the situation."

Behind Anton, Connor was looking bewildered, Ethan curious and Kira was grinning madly.

"Are you asking Hayley out?" Connor blurted causing everyone to turn to him. Trent dropped his head in his hand and wandered off to start his shift. Ethan looked shocked at the possibility, then made a face before quickly decamping to a computer cubicle far enough away to avoid fall out but still close enough to see and hear everything going on.

Kira swatted Connor on the arm before smiling brightly and a bit desperately at the adults, "Ignore him. He failed tact, and we are considering summer school before letting him loose on the world." With that, she grabbed Connor's arm and started to drag him off towards the music stage.

Anton turned back to Hayley and he gave her a broad smile which she returned. "I know you work most afternoons and evenings, but I can carve time out of my week, possibly for a picnic lunch?"

Hayley looked to see all the teenage rangers watching them attentively. "You know, I was thinking, now that Trent was eighteen and out of school for the summer, if he was interested in taking a management position so I could have some evenings off. And Tommy owes me some time at the Café."

"I would be singularly honored if you would be willing to spend some of that time with me."

"Dr. Mercer, I accept."


End file.
